Male Fashions: The Bow Tie

As noted in my review of Adam & Evelyne, the bow-tie is often the mark of a rather dodgy individual in British films of the mid-20th century. Whilst I was growing up I associated them with doctors (probably influenced by James Robertson Justice in any number of medical roles). Also the bow tie was most often seen worn with dinner suits, hardly the most proletarian outfit ("the uniform of reaction" as one of my friends used to refer to dinner suits).

To support my argument here are some notable examples:



Fred Johnson as a crooked jockey in 'Adam & Evelyne'



Sid James as a member of a crooked gambling syndicate in 'Belles of St Trinians'



crooked gambling syndicate in 'Belles of St Trinians'



Billy Hartnell as a race-track villain in Brighton Rock



Dodgy jockey in 'Brothers in Law'



Jack Warner as a black marketer in Hue & Cry



A workshy loafer (for want of a better description) in Major Barbara



Sydney Tafler as a bookmaker in Passport to Pimlico



Richard Attenborough as an army deserter and art thief in 'Private's Progress'



Alastair Sim as the founder of the school of 'one upmanship' in 'School for Scoundrels'

Ian Carmichael after learning the dubious skills of one-upmanship in 'School for Scoundrels'



Cecil Parker as a criminal in 'The Ladykillers'



Alastair Sim as an assassin in 'The Green Man'



Stanley Holloway as a gambler in 'The Titfield Thunderbolt'



Smuggler, black marketer and murderer in Blackout (1950)

Terry-Thomas as a tax dodging businessman in 'Too Many Crooks'